The 96 season was a waste, but anyone who remembers this game knows that, at least on this day, the Mets seemed invincible. In a steady rain, the Mets rallied from a 6-0 deficit to win 7-6. The Mets fell behind on HRs by immortals such as John Mabry and a 41-year-old Willie McGee off of Bobby Jones, and when he departed after 3.2 unmemorable innings, the score was 6-0. Then the bullpen took over. Hundley homered in the 4th, a 2-run shot, and the first of many. Gilkey homered in the 6th, in his Mets debut against the team that dealt him away. The Cards threatened in the 7th, but that rally was stifled when Rey Ordonez, in his Major League Debut, gunned out Royce Clayton from LF...ON HIS KNEES!!! Rey then promptly whacked his first ML hit in the bottom of the 7th, which keyed a 4-run rally which put the Mets ahead to stay. And anyone who sat through all 9 stormy and wet innings felt, at least that day, like champions.

rich
April 1, 2003

Me and my friends Marie and Danny went to this game. We sat over the Mets bullpen. It was a rainy day and we got soaked. I remember the Mets were losing the game when we had to leave early. Bernard Gilkey hit a homer to make it 6-3. I said on the way home I know the Mets will come back to win and they did.

Dan
April 1, 2003

I remember watching this one on TV, not envying the rain-soaked fans in the stadium, and watching an incredible relay throw by a rookie shortshop on his knees down the left-field line to nail a runner at the plate. "Wow, this kid gonna be something," I thought. *Sigh* Rey, if you could only learn how to hit.

I remember this one well. I was 13, and in seventh grade. I got to skip a day of school (something I have done a lot for Mets baseball), as did my older sister, to go to this with my dad. This season started with a lot of high hopes. For the first 3 1/2 innings, it looked like it was going to be an awful game to go along with the miserable rainy & cold day as Bobby Jones fell behind 6-0. But, Todd Hundley started off the scoring by hitting a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth. It was his first of 41 record breaking homers by a catcher in a single season. The Mets continued to come back later in the game, including a home run by then newcomer Benard Gilkey. They would go on to win 7-6. But, the famous from the knees play by then rookie Rey Ordonez is what stands out most in memories of this game. Royce Clayton tried to score, but was gunned down by a kneeling Rey Ordonez throw from left field. What an awesome play! I went to the first, and last game of this season. Too bad it merely ended to be the Mets' sixth straight season of finishing under the 500 mark.

Putbeds 1986
January 15, 2006

I remember being at work and had my trusty radio on that crappy day and while the Mets game was going on; they had announced that Umpire Big John McSherry had died on the field in Cincinnati. A sad day for baseball!

This is one of my first, and to this day favorite memories from any Met game I've ever attended. I was a 10-year-old youth, getting to skip school for my first opening day at Shea, and boy was I pumped. I remember the excitement I had for the '96 season, leading up to 4/1/96, and while '96 was a rough one, this one game was a great one.

The rain was coming down from the early morning and I was praying for it to hold off, and luckily it was dry enough to get this one in. Bobby Jones threw a disappointing 3.2 innings and we were down 6-0. It looked as though my dad and I, who were enduring the rain in the loge section, might not be around for all 9. But Todd Hundley came up and cut the lead by 33%, making it 6-2 with a blast into the right field bullpen.

New Met Bernard "Innocent until proven" Gilkey came up a few innings later and reduced the lead even more to 6-3.

Somewhere in there rookie Rey Ordonez made one of the best plays I've ever seen, an incredible throw from his knees to gun down a runner at the plate, from left field.

The Mets would go on top in the 7th in an inning sparked by hits from Ordonez and one of my favorite Met pinch hitters ever, Chris Jones. 7-6 after 7 an a brutal day turned to terrific, as this no name bullpen was able to hold the Cards for 4.1 innings, something they couldn't do much of after this game. However this one is gonna be locked in the memory bank for a while, friend.

April 4, 1996 Shea Stadium
Mets 10, St. Louis Cardinals 9

The Spider
September 11, 2003

I am the only man to run onto the field and get away with it at Shea Stadium. I will strike again. This historic day will live in infamy! Out of the five people who ran onto the field that day.. I am the soul survivor .

Wow, that was you, huh, Spider? 9th inning? Right after Franco had completed the Mets blowing a 7-3 lead in the Major League Debut of one Mr. Paul Wilson? Impressive. Not quite as impressive, however, as the 7 IP tossed by the last of the three "greats" to make their ML Debut, and we all know what happened after that... As for the game, which I was at (but not running on the field), yes, Wilson was staked to a 7-3 lead, which was blown by usual suspects Henry & DiPoto, but the Mets tied the game in the last of the 9th when a grounder that would have ended the game snuck through the legs of aging 3B Gary Gaetti, and then Brent Mayne, in one of his few shining moments of glory with the Mets, smacked a single to bring home the winner.

Wow! I was ten years old when I was at that game. During the later innings (Huskey was at 1st) some old guy ran up and gave him a hug, and then right after that a few more people ran out. Then yes I remember that one guy went running into the outfield, dove over the wall and the cops never got to him. You my friend are my hero!

I was at this great game with my father and I have a baseball from this game. It was a hard hit foul ball off the bat of Ron Gant. Everyone ducked and my father caught it. I remember his hand was black and blue. He wrote on the ball GANT 4-4-96. The Mets were winning 8-3 and the Cardinals came back late to take a 9-8 lead. The Mets won 10-9 when they scored two runs in the 9th off Dennis Eckersley. My father passed away and I keep this baseball next to a picture of us together.

I was at this game and sat pretty close to home plate, just behind the right hand side. What I most remember about this game was that forty year old Danny Darwin, someone who I thought retired, simply mowed the Mets down. They couldn't keep up with his breaking pitches and the Mets batters looked defeated.

This was also Mark Clark's debut with the Mets and he had a pretty good year for them. It was a shame to see him go the following summer. I also remember this game because I was on the worst date of my life.

I was a graduate student at Colorado State University at the time, and I attended the game at Coors Field with a fellow graduate student. The thing that sticks out in my mind about the game is the two errors made by Rey Ordˇ˝ez on a single play.

April 14, 1996 Coors Field
Mets 10, Colorado Rockies 4

Toasty Joe
October 1, 2006

This was Rey-Rey's coming out party with the bat. I remember it well - an ESPN game as I recall. The announcers were totally nonplussed that Ordonez just kept getting hit after hit.

April 25, 1996 Busch Stadium
Mets 9, St. Louis Cardinals 3

Ed K
November 4, 2007

Jose Vizcaino got his ninth consecutive hit (a Met record) in this game before the streak was stopped in his last at-bat.

April 29, 1996 Shea Stadium
Mets 3, Montreal Expos 2

Jimrat
September 6, 2008

This game was a baseball history maker! John Franco, with a scoreless ninth inning, became the first left-hander to record 300 saves in his career. A few years later, he became the first lefty to get 400 saves.

This was a crushing loss. Wilson one of the supposed "phenom" pitchers had like a 1 hitter going into the 9th at Wrigley. Sammy Sosa hit a three run homer in the bottom of the 9th to win it for the Cubs. The Mets never recovered that season.

Frankie B
May 10, 2009

This is Dallas Green as his finest. Wilson pitches the game of his life striking out 14. Instead of taking him out to face Sosa and bringing in the junk baller (Franco), Green keeps him in. Wilson was never the same after this game and this is when I lost all credibility for Dallas Green.

This was the infamous Pete Harnisch/Scott Servais/Kevin Foster brawl, where Foster threw a pitch over Hundley's head in the 1st, Harnisch hit Foster with a pitch in the 2nd, then Terry Adams threw a pitch behind Harnisch in the 5th. Harnisch then began jawing with Cubs Catcher Scott Servais, then closed-fisted him in the face, setting off a brawl that spilled into the Cubs dugout. I believe Harnisch, Adams, Servais and Hundley all got tossed.

Then, of course, after the Mets led 6-2, Henry came in and blew the lead.

Rico Brogna, in his last great moment (and there weren't that many) as a Met, hit the game winner, his 2nd of the game, in the 9th.

As mentioned by Mets2Moon, there were NINE ejections in this game, including Servais and Harnisch, who was also fined and suspended for eight games for throwing the punch. Mets bullpen coach Steve Swisher was also thrown out and suspended for two games, and John Franco was thrown out too, and today was John Franco Day at Shea!

Rico Brogna had a triple and a single to go along with his two homers.

Michael
May 28, 2010

To my knowledge.....this game is where a Mets player came the closets to hitting 3 homers in a game at Shea (it never happened).

Brogna hit 2 homers and then hit a triple that hit the VERY top of the wall.

Todd Hundley had two three-run homers in this game along with another RBI for a total of seven on the day. Mark Clark went the distance for his second complete game victory of the year; at this point no other Met had pitched a complete game.

Rey Ordonez had two singles, two doubles, and two errors in the game. Rico Brogna also saved Ordonez from making two more errors when he made nice plays at first to save two bad throws.

As a senior in high school, Fireworks Night at Shea was a game that about a dozen of my friends and I attended in hopes of seeing the budding young phenom named Jason Isringhausen throw his first no-hitter. Of course, as we've all come to see, Isringhausen turned out to be a real bust and there was no no- hitter coming that night. Instead, Isringhausen was shelled and the Mets' managed to put one measly run on the board courtesy of Butch Huskey's solo shot late in the game. I think the name Butch Husky stands for "one who hits solo home runs of no consequence" in Swahili because that came to be his claim to fame. Anyway, despite the 13 to 1 drubbing, my friends and I managed to enjoy ourselves...that is until the fireworks were set off accompanied by the garage-band wailings of some band called "The Fool". The name of the band says it all folks, because that night the Mets were indeed playin' the fool...

I went to this game with my mom, dad, and a friend. Mets had a 2-0 lead after Butch Huskey hit a solo shot. But Pete Harnisch let up five runs before all hell broke loose in the seventh inning with Blas Minor, Jerry Dipoto, and Bob MacDonald. This included a grand slam by Devon White. The boos could be heard loudly as the Mets went on to lose 12-2. Then Marlin Al Leiter pitched six solid innings. On the plus side, I got Terry Pendleton to throw me a ball before the game.

June 9, 1996 Shea Stadium
Mets 3, Florida Marlins 0

Joe From Jersey
December 11, 2005

I was at Shea that warm Sunday afternoon. It was probably Izzy's highlight as a Met: Complete Game Shutout and 10K's plus a home run by Butch Huskey, a fave of mine between the '90 season and when we got Piazza. Izzy was part of Generation K (with Pulpisher and Paul Wilson) and out of all 3 who thought he would be the best of them by being a pretty good reliever with the A's and Cards.

June 10, 1996 Shea Stadium
Mets 8, Atlanta Braves 3

Matt
August 23, 2006

My first Mets game ever. Sat in a sky box.

At one point (I forget which inning), Steve Avery on the mound, hits Jose Vizcaino on the leg, his bad leg, on which he had a very well-publicized injury. The Mets cried foul. Nothing happens.

Bottom of the same inning, Steve Avery leads off, and Bobby Jones throws two pitches right at his head. Home plate ump comes out to warn the pitcher, and then Dallas Green comes out to argue a bit with the umpire. As Green starts to walk back to the dugout, Avery makes a smart-ass comment about Green in front of Todd Hundley. Hundley then gets in Avery's face and chest-bumps him. BENCHES CLEAR. BULLPENS CLEAR. Everyone is pushing and shoving...no punches thrown, just a big scuffle....

I covered this game for a local newspaper, and at his locker following the game, starting/winning pitcher Mark Clark said, "People back home said (Braves pitcher Greg) Maddux is hard to beat, but hey, look at me, I did it!"

This game was a Monday afternoon businessperson's special, so my friend and I left Jersey around 6 am and made very good time driving across Pennsylvania. So, we get to 3 Rivers ten minutes before game time, and the computer that prints out the tickets gets jammed. Finally the computer gets fixed and we buy our tickets and go in, only it is now the bottom of the 2nd and we missed the 6 run onslaught the Mets whupped on the Pirates.

Lo and behold the Mets blow the lead, but luckily won the game in the 10th. Now I'm tired from getting up at the crack of dawn, driving 6 hours and sitting through a 3 l/2 hour game. I want to check into my hotel and go to sleep. But no, my friend wants to watch a post game softball game between 2 local radio stations. B0RlNG!!! The only remote thing that made this half assed softball game interesting is this hot blonde that played for one of the teams. Whenever she got up, the 10 of us left in the stadium cheered wildly.

The next day in Pittsburgh was sunny and hot, great day for a ball game. Only problem was the game was at night and by the 2nd inning it was a torrential downpour. The Pirates waited almost 2 hours before calling the game and it was to be made up as a double header the next day. Only problem is that I had to be home the next day.

So my maiden voyage to Pittsburgh SUCKED!!! I hope I have better luck with the new stadium.

June 26, 1996 Shea Stadium
Mets 9, Colorado Rockies 5

Dan
March 31, 2003

I was at this one. The Mets came from behind THREE times this sunny afternoon. Alex Ochoa had a big hit to put the home team ahead to stay. One of the guttier efforts during a lackluster season.

Hard to believe this game is 18 years old now. The local community college was sponsoring a trip down to Philly for this game. Of course I was mocked by Yankee fans for having an interest in going to see two last place teams play at the time.

The only memory I have of this game besides the Phillies winning was the third base coach sending a runner home who got thrown at the plate to end the eighth inning. Obviously not that exciting of a game as I can't remember most of it!

Rookie OF Alex Ochoa had five hits in this game and hit for the cycle. He had two doubles among the five hits.

Ochoa was the only Met to get five hits in a game in 1996. The next time a Met had five hits in a game was more than three years later--in August of 1999--when Edgardo Alfonso had six hits (including three homers) against the Astros.

Witz
September 2, 2008

I remember watching this game and being pissed off when Huskey was removed from the game late needing only a double for the cycle--especially when hios turn came up one more time in the game! I have never bothered to confirm it, but I am guessing no team has ever had two guys hit for the cycle in one game.

July 6, 1996 Olympic Stadium
Mets 11, Montreal Expos 3

DaKid2484
February 23, 2011

I remember being on the beach at the Jersey Shore listening to this game on the radio and hearing the call from Gary on Lance Johnson's bases-loaded 3-run triple. Don't know why I remember that.

July 19, 1996 Shea Stadium
Montreal Expos 5, Mets 4

Dan
March 31, 2003

A frustrating game to sit through on a muggy Friday night (I think it was Latino Appreciation night, as well). At the time I couldn't believe the Mets lost to a bunch of no-names from Montreal. Looking at that lineup today, the Expos they had a solid group of players (who contributed elsewhere, of course).

This was the second game of a day-night doubleheader, and I was driving at night in my SUV in northeastern Minnesota, heading out to Thunder Bay, Ontario. Even though I was in Minnesota, I could hear this game on KOA radio in Denver, which calls itself the "Blowtorch of the Rockies". Eric Young drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Rockies a sweep of the doubleheader.

My dad caught a foul ball off the bat of Jose Vizcaino in this game. It was one of his and my step-mom's first dates. I've been searching for the footage, but have yet to find it. Any help would be appreciated!

July 30, 1996 Shea Stadium
Mets 4, Pittsburgh Pirates 3

Larry
May 27, 2002

Todd Hundley hits a game-winning homer at 12:24 a.m. to cap the doubleheader, which started with great anticipaton because of the acquisition of Carlos Baerga. Who knew it wasn't the Baerga of circa 1993?

I was at this game in the upper deck closest to the scoreboard. Man was it hot and humid that day. Mets down 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth and Bernard Gilkey hits a home run to tie it. In the tenth the immortal Chris Jones hits a mammoth 2-run shot to win it. As a side note one of those summer storms was coming into the area at the moment Chris Jones hits it a massive lightning strike occurs off to the north. I don't know why but that was wierd.

Bill from Hoboken
October 1, 2006

Only memory on this one is Chris Jones (now the Newark Bears Mrgr.) hit a walk-off HR, we were still under the delusion that a wild card birth was a possibility...lol

This game was cover-your-eyes ugly: the Mets made seven errors and allowed seven unearned runs in a loss to the Pirates, who were eleven games under .500.

The Mets were behind, 5-0 going to the bottom of the fifth but then scored six to take a 6-5 lead after five innings. But the Pirates scored eight runs (six unearned) over the last three innings for the win.

Tood Hundley had a single and his 31st home run, and drove in five runs.

I remember my parents took me to this game for my 14th birthday. The only things I remember was Gilkey having a great game (he had many of those in 96) and it was fireworks night and ash got all over our car. I can't believe that was 12 years ago already.

l went to this game thinking it will be the last time l'll see Ozzie Smith play. But no, that jerk Tony LaRussa not only screwed over Ozzie like he did all season long, but screwed us fans out from seeing Ozzie play one last time at Shea. More on that jerk LaRussa later.

Although in between innings they did put Ozzie on the Diamond Vision and the fans gave him a standing ovation. Oh yeah, LaRussa. After Espinoza made an error that cost the Mets the game, the Cards were facing the weak part of the order in the bottom of the 9th and even I could've gotten them out l-2-3. But no, LaRussa had to bring in 3 different relievers culminating with his pet Eckersley to throw 2 pitches so he can get a save. This set the game back an extra half hour and I missed my train back to Jersey by 2 minutes. So I had to wait another hour for the next train, thus getting home almost 8 at night. All because Tony LaRussa had to give his boy Eckersely a save.

On a lighter note, Hundley homered in the upper deck that echoed throught the stadium. Other than that the afternoon was a waste.

Took my 11 year-old nephew to his first ballgame this night. Tried to get him into baseball, into the Mets. Then we sat through this rain-soaked monstrosity. My nephew's now a skateboard punk- rocker who could care less about baseball.

The game was long and boring.The only exciting thing I saw was Andy Tomberlin hitting a home run in left field.

patrick
May 11, 2003

This was a simply amazin' game. Andy Tomberlin going opposite field...oh baby!!! That shot was worth the price of admission! Izzy getting the Mets first hit in the latter innings. Izzy gave us everything he could that night, but the Cubbies were just too tough as Ryan Sandberg put on display his home run power.

In this game played in Monterrey, Mexico, Padres CF Steve Finley homers off Robert Person in the bottom of the first, making him the first player in history to hit home runs in three different countries.

The Mets rallied late to make the score look respectable, but they were down 15-0 to Fernando Valenzuela and the Padres after six innings.

An inauspicious debut for new Mets Manager Bobby Valentine. Mets took a 3-0 lead into the 8th, thanks to a 2 run HR by Mets immortal Roberto Petagine, and Mlicki was crusing, but got into trouble, and finally was done in when Steve Finley walloped a 3 run HR off him, which gave the Padres the 4-3 lead and the win. There would, obviously, be better days for Bobby V.

August 30, 1996 Shea Stadium
San Francisco Giants 6, Mets 4

Ed K
February 12, 2006

The last game for Dallas Green as Met manager. Mets blew a 4-0 lead in a Sunday game ending a series at Dodger Stadium. It had been a dreadful August. By the time, they played in San Diego after a day off, Bobby V was the manager.

Bobby V's first win as Mets manager, and he messed up on a double switch confusing Gilkey with Everett. LOL, its so embarassing being a Mets fan

September 14, 1996 Shea Stadium
Mets 6, Atlanta Braves 5

HH
August 20, 2004

A true piece of Mets history: Todd Hundley's 41st HR of the season, putting him in the record books for most HRs in a season by a catcher. The previous record was held by Roy Campanella and the record would once again be broken by Javy Lopes in the 2000's.

Hundley should have been a franchise player with NY. Too bad the Piazza-at-first experiment wasn't tried then.

Mike D.
May 13, 2007

I have very fond memories of this game. I took my then 9 year old nephew to see his first baseball game. Todd Hundley had been stuck on 40 home runs for about a week and seemed to be getting frustrated. He came up in the 7th with 2 men on and the Mets down 5-2. Bam! Batting lefty, he drilled an opposite field shot over the wall in the left field corner (off of future Met Greg McMichael) to tie the game. I think they played a video on Diamond Vision right after he circled the bases, showing each of his 41 home runs.

The Mets eventually won in the 12th on a Lance Johnson single and we raced back to Staten Island to celebrate my sister's 30th birthday. All in all, a great day.

My nephew became a big New York baseball fan that season, though even the excitement at Shea on that sunny September afternoon couldn't save him from being pulled over to the "Dark Side." Oh well, I still love him.

An otherwise meaningless game for both teams, but this day was the occasion of my second Mets game, over six years from the date of my first.

I sat in the mezzanine behind home plate on an overcast, damp afternoon and watched Tom Glavine shut down a lineup littered with guys like Roberto Petagine and Chris Jones. We also got to witness the major-league debut of Mets catcher Charlie Greene.

Nothing all too special about this one, but I'd be back for '97. And '98. And '99. And...

Well, my story of this game may well top the others...at least from a sad standpoint.

First of all, I originally had tickets for the previous afternoon's game, the Hundley 41st HR/great 12-inning win game. However, it was also Rosh Hashana, and therefore I would not be attending that game. I traded my tickets for that game with a friend who had tickets for this game. Not quite the same, although I ended up with better seats.

But the kicker was, in the days when Chipper Jones was simply the Braves up-and-comer, and not the hated LARRY!, I happened to be seated in the loge, just underneath a box full of female teenage Braves fans. This was what I was subjected to the entire game:

"WOOOO! CHIPPER RULES!"

"I LOVE YOU CHIPPER!!"

"LARRY! YOU'RE THE BEST!"

"CHIPPER IS SOOOOOOO HOT!"

Of course, Chips is enjoying a 3 hit game. However, all the Mets fans in my section have wised up by his 4th AB, and boo long and lustily as he approaches the plate, drawing the ire of the girls, and we cheer even louder after he struck out. At least the girls shut up for a few minutes.

I remember this game quite well. I was in junior high. My mom took my two good friends and I. Both loved to rag on me about the Mets; one of them was a big Yanks' fan at the time and now, ironically, is a Met lover who hates the Yanks. As I remember, we got there around the third inning. Nothing about the game excited me being that they had already clinched a 90-loss season. We stayed after the game and went near the Mets' dugout so we could try to catch any of the various items that the players traditionally throw into the stands after the last game. One of my friends was lucky to catch a batting glove. Other than that, a depressing end to a very depressing stretch of six seasons. Of course, we all know what the Yanks' did that October.